Race Against Time
by Hannibal-Necromancer97
Summary: Commander Shepard is now who you remember him as: a dashing hero who protects the galaxy from chaos and those who bring it. This story follows John Shepard, and the adventure he could've had through the first 33% of the trilogy. (Warning!: Mass Effect Spoilers to follow.)(Not as heavy-AU as the last two, still with significant differences)(some Violence/Adult Themes/Language ahead)
1. This Is An Introduction

This is a protagonist. He is 5'9.5" tall with short, dark brown hair; blue-gray eyes; and a layer of stubble covering his jaw line and chin. He had, at one point, been reunited with his sweetheart, only to learn that they could not quite yet be together. So, these days, he serves as XO on the SSV Normandy, the Alliance's highest-end frigate, under the esteemed Captain Anderson.

We call this protagonist Shepard.

…Or John if that's more comfortable.

Where was I? …Right, right. Ahem.

/-/

Shepard watched out the window of his cabin as the Normandy left Earth. He'd grown up on Mindoir, a farming colony in the Attican Traverse, so he'd only ever seen Earth on the news. But, that's not what he was thinking about. He was still upset that Tali couldn't join him those many months ago.

Now, if you jumped straight to this story, I'll break it down for you. Shepard met Tali, a quarian, when she crashed into his hometown, the colony of Mindoir. When she woke, they were inseparable for the five or so months she was there. He became sad when she left, joined the Alliance, fought some evil robots, and nearly blew up a planet. They were reunited momentarily, but Tali had to leave again to complete her Pilgrimage.

Now that that's out of the way…

He was still upset that Tali couldn't join him those many months ago. He could understand why, but that didn't keep him from moping about it.

_"The Arcturus Prime Relay is in range,"_ spoke the helmsman, Jeff "Joker" Moreau, over the intercom. _"Initiating transmission sequence."_

Shepard shrugged. _Might as well get up,_ he thought.

After donning his uniform, Commander Shepard exited his quarters, proceeding to the cockpit. He kept himself composed as he walked. He didn't need to drag everyone on board into his personal problems. He passed one of the rookies on board, who greeted him as he walked.

_"We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination."_

_I wonder what she's up to,_ he continued to think. _Maybe she's thinking of me…_ He passed various monitors as he walked through the CIC into the cockpit.

_"The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector. All stations secure for transit."_

He brushed past another soldier, entering the pilot area. Next to him stood the turian Spectre, Nihlus, who acknowledged him with a nod.

_"The board is green. Approach run has begun."_

The ship closed on the mass relay, which began to charge for their shot across the galaxy.

_"Hitting the relay in three…two…one…"_

The relay's mass effect field pulled them in before launching the Normandy clear of the Sol system and, subsequently, the Local Cluster. Even though the ship had accelerated from a few hundred knots to well past the speed of light, Shepard, Nihlus, Captain Anderson, and the rest of the crew didn't even feel it nudge as they zipped through the stars, barely hearing a low boom as they were launched.

As they sped across the galaxy, Joker took the time to run through the numbers. He switched off the com and checked his monitors. "Thrusters… check. Navigation… check. Internal emissions sink engaged. Drift… just under fifteen hundred-K."

Nihlus commended, "Fifteen hundred is good. Your captain will be pleased." Without another word, the Spectre exited.

"…I hate that guy."

"Nihlus just gave you a compliment," the copilot, Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, observed. "So you hate him?"

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on your way out of the bathroom; that's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible! Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid. The Council helped fund this project. They have the right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story."

Shepard attempted a smile and looked at Joker. "You always expect the worst."

"Well, bad feelings are an occupational hazard. We don't go anywhere unless there's a good reason, so… what're we doing here?"

_"Joker,"_ spoke the voice of Captain Anderson over the radio. _"Status report."_

"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain," Joker replied, reverting to professional mode. "Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."

_"Good. Find a com buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."_

"Aye-aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir; I think Nihlus is headed your way."

_"He's already here, Lieutenant."_ Kaidan snickered while Joker shook his head. _"Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the com room for a debriefing."_

The transmission ended. "You get that, Commander?" the pilot asked.

"I'm on my way."

Shepard left. On his way out, he heard Joker muttering to his copilot, "Is it me, or does the Captain always sound pissed off?"

"Only when he's talking to you, Joker," Kaidan replied.

The Commander smiled on his way out. He liked Joker like a little brother - albeit a little brother who always got in trouble. The snarky helmsman always had something to say about something, and he'd say it so everyone can hear. He never got in trouble for it because, for one thing, it made everyone laugh… mostly… And two, he was the best pilot in the entire Alliance fleet.

Coming back to reality, Shepard made his way to the com room, passing Pressley, the navigator, and a heated discussion between Corporal Jenkins and the ship's medic, Dr. Chakwas. The com room itself was not too big; it was simply a short hallway with a circular chamber at the end where, presently, Nihlus stood alone facing the screen. "Nihlus," Shepard greeted.

The turian Spectre faced him and returned the greeting, "Commander Shepard. I was hoping you'd get here first. It'll give us a chance to talk."

Shepard furrowed his eyebrows, looking around the otherwise empty chamber. "I was told Anderson would meet me here."

"You weren't misinformed. The Captain is on his way." Nihlus began to pace as he spoke. "I'm interested in this world we're going to; Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful."

"I've never been there myself, but I hear it's a paradise."

"Yes, a paradise. Serene, tranquil, safe… Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it really?"

"Safer than where I was raised."

"Ah, that's right. You were born in the Terminus Systems, the Attican Traverse, weren't you? I apologize for what happened on Mindoir after you left." Nihlus referred to the fact that, shortly after Shepard enlisted in the Alliance, Mindoir had been attacked by batarian slavers. He'd only recently received the news, himself.

"Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"

"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard," the turian said flatly. "The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. But, I assume you already knew that. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?"

It was about that moment when Captain Anderson entered. He had dark, wrinkled skin; deep, brown eyes; and thinning, dark brown hair. He wore the uniform typical of Alliance Naval Captains, complete with just a few of the many medals he'd earned over the years. Shepard once heard from Navigator Pressley that, if Anderson were to melt down all of his medals, he'd be able to make a life size statue of himself. He was truly an impressive man. The Captain looked at Nihlus. "I think it's time we told the Commander what's really going on."


	2. Debriefing

"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run," Nihlus began, disillusioning the tale of their purpose in going to Eden Prime.

"Is there a reason you kept everyone in the dark?" Shepard asked.

"We're making a covert pickup on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational."

"And…?"

"This comes down from the top, Commander. Information's strictly on a need-to-know basis." Anderson began to walk over to the monitor Nihlus stood at. "A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of… beacon, during an excavation." He looked at the bewildered Commander. "It was Prothean."

"Prothean? I thought the Protheans vanished fifty thousand years ago."

"Their legacy still remains," Nihlus stated. "The mass relays, the Citadel, our ship drives; it's all based on Prothean technology."

Anderson continued, "This is big, Shepard. The last time humanity made a discovery like this it jumped our technology forward two hundred years. But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"Obviously this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander. This discovery could affect every species in Council Space."

"I'm glad you're here to help us then, Nihlus," Shepard said. "It never hurts to have an extra set of hands on board."

"The beacon isn't the only reason I'm here," Nihlus replied bluntly.

Anderson clarified, "Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander. He's here to evaluate you."

"Evaluate me? For what?"

"The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy; we want a say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

"You showed admirable skill on Akuze during the Skyllian Blitz. You showed great skill and a remarkable will to live; particularly useful talents. Not just that, you saw that your whole team made it out safely. It's things like that that got you promoted seventeen ranks at once almost a year ago. It's also why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."

Shepard still didn't quite follow. "Why would a turian want a human in the Spectres?"

"Not all turians resent humanity. Some of us see the potential of your species; we see what you have to offer to the rest of the galaxy - and to the Spectres. We're an elite group; it's rare to find an individual with the skills we seek. I don't care that you're human, Shepard. I only care that you can get the job done."

"I'm going to assume that this is good for us. The Alliance, I mean."

"Earth needs this," Anderson confirmed. "We're counting on you."

"I need to see your skills for myself, Commander," Nihlus continued. "Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."

"You'll be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you, and observe the mission."

"Well then," Shepard said, "what are we standing around for?"

The Captain nodded. "We should be getting close to Eden-"

_"Captain,"_ Joker radioed, _"we got a problem."_

"What's wrong, Joker?"

_"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You're gonna want to take a look at this."_

"…Put it up on screen."

The wall monitor switched on, showing footage of a firefight. In it, a soldier in a white-and-red suit fired at an off-screen enemy. She ran to the source of the transmission, yelling "Get down!" The soldier filming the scenario fell to the ground, still keeping the camera on the woman who had dropped him.

Another soldier came on-screen. "We are under attack, taking heavy casualties," he said. "Repeat heavy casualties! We can't-…et evac. They came outta nowhere! We need-" The trooper was suddenly and forcibly removed from the camera.

A low, ominous hum buzzed through the air. The camera turned; first to his comrades, who had stopped firing. Their mouths hung open in shock and terror. He then turned briefly to a large spacecraft looming in the sky. When he turned back to his fellow soldiers, the screen showed only static.

_"Everything just cuts out after that,"_ Joker stated. _"No com traffic at all. Just goes dead… There's nothing."_

"Reverse and hold at thirty-eight-point-five," Anderson commanded. The footage rewound to the shot of the craft that gave the low droning. Shepard looked over and saw Nihlus's mandibles twitch; it wasn't important or exciting, he was just curious. "Status report."

_"Seventeen minutes out, Captain; no other Alliance ships in the area."_

"…Take us in, Joker. Fast and quiet. This mission just got a lot more complicated."

"A small strike team can go in unnoticed," Nihlus informed. "I'll recon ahead to see what we're up against."

"Alright then. Shepard, go tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up. Getting that beacon is top priority once you're planetside."

Shepard nodded as he and Nihlus took one last look at the ship in the video before following the Captain out of the com room.

/-/

_"Engaging stealth systems,"_ Joker reported. _"Someone's been doing some serious digging here, Captain."_

Shepard stood with Kaidan and Jenkins behind him on either side in the ship's bay. To their right, Eden Prime moved by in blurred reds and browns as the Normandy flew over the surface. "Your teams the muscle in this operation, Commander," Anderson said. "Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."

"What about survivors, Captain?" asked Kaidan.

"Helping survivors is a secondary objective. The beacon's your top priority."

_"Approaching drop point one."_

"Nihlus?" Jenkins said, just realizing the turian's presence, "You're coming with us?"

Nihlus checked his shotgun. "I move faster on my own," he stated. He then proceeded to leap from the hangar to the planet below.

"Crazy son of a…"

"Nihlus will scout out ahead," the Captain informed. "Keep feeding us status reports throughout the mission. Otherwise, maintain radio silence."

Shepard nodded. "We've got his back, Captain."

"The mission's yours now, Shepard. Good luck."


	3. Eden Prime

Shepard's team arrived at drop point two. After a quick sweep of the area, the Commander signaled all clear. "We've got a lot of ground to cover," he said. "We need to start moving if we're going to catch up to Nihlus."

"Aye, sir," Jenkins said.

They walked. Eden Prime was quite a beautiful planet, covered with unique foliage and wildlife. They passed all kinds of flowers, lichens, and some bulbous creatures Jenkins identified as "harmless Gasbags."

Shepard halted their little nature hike when they came to a ridge. He motioned for them to follow, covering behind a rock. He pointed Kaidan to another piece of cover, and Jenkins to another. Kaidan bolted to his cover, which took the form of a fallen tree, and ducked there. Jenkins very nearly made it, but was ambushed. Above him, three sentinel drones uncloaked and began to fire on him. The Corporal gave one pained scream before falling to the ground.

Shepard nearly had a heart attack right then. He drew his assault rifle and opened fire on the pods as Kaidan followed suit. The drones plummeted, exploding on impact with the ground. He and Kaidan moved ahead after confirming the Corporal's death.

"Hold," Shepard commanded. "…Do you hear that?"

Kaidan nodded. "Sounds like gunfire, sir." He pointed to a high-rise. "Came from over there."

"Let's go."

The two of them climbed the hill. At the top, they observed the situation at hand. Down below, a soldier in white-and-red armor - presumably the one from the transmission - was running from two drones that were identical to the ones that killed Jenkins moments ago. Beyond that, two synthetic troops were putting a colonist onto a piece of equipment. The object produced a spike that reached up through the poor soul's chest, impaling him fifteen feet in the air thus ending his life. The aforesaid soldier fell, but in such a way that allowed her to plug the sentinels that were chasing her.

"She's not bad," Kaidan muttered.

The synthetic soldiers began to advance on the human's location. "Looks like she needs a hand, Kaidan," Shepard suggested. Kaidan nodded, and the duo began to fend off the mechanical mercenaries that dared to invade Eden Prime.

There weren't many; not here, at least. The two droids that had strung up the colonist were taken care of with almost no effort. Still, that didn't keep the lone soldier from being grateful. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the Two-Twelve," she greeted. "Thanks for the assist. You the one in charge here?"

"Are you alright?" Shepard asked.

"A few burns and scrapes, but I'll live. The others weren't as lucky." She sighed, "Oh man… We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to get off a distress call, but they cut off our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since. We tried to double back to the beacon, but we walked into an ambush. The others… I may be the only one left."

"Don't blame yourself, Chief," Kaidan said. "There's nothing you could have done."

"Aye. We tried to hold our position for as long as possible, but the geth overwhelmed us."

"The geth?" Shepard twitched.

"The geth haven't been seen outside the Veil in nearly two hundred years," Kaidan said. He obviously never got the memo about what happened on the Britannia, or Syided. "Why are they here now?"

"They must have come for the beacon," Ashley guessed. "The dig site is just ahead, over that rise; the beacon may still be there."

Shepard nodded, still fuming. "We could use your help, Williams."

"Aye-aye, sir. It's time for some payback." She started ahead; making sure her rifle was ready to go. "The beacon's at the far end of this trench."

/-/

They made it to the dig site where - surprise, surprise - the geth were waiting. The trio did away with the surprisingly few synthetics before Ashley could address the newest problem. "This is the dig site," she said, "but the beacon isn't here; it must've been moved."

"By who? Our side or the geth?" Kaidan asked.

"Hard to say. Maybe we'll know more after we check out the research camp."

"You think anyone got out of here alive?" Shepard said. "Geth don't usually miss people."

"If they were lucky, they're probably hiding up at the camp. It's just at the top of this ridge, up the ramps."

_"Shepard,"_ said Nihlus's voice on Shepard's radio. _"Change of plans. There's a small spaceport up ahead. I want to check it out. I'll wait for you there."_

"Roger," Shepard replied. "We're Oscar Mike."

They proceeded up the ridge, finding more impaled colonists among the debris. "Good place for an ambush…" Kaidan observed. "Keep your guard up." Treading lightly, they tried not to look at the corpses looming above them. The sound of metal sliding against metal could be heard as one of the spikes was lowered. The cadaver that had occupied that space began to stir, climbing off of the unit. "My God… They're still alive!" The withered husk looked at them and howled.

"What did the geth do to them?!" Ashley said incredulously.

They opened fire on it as two more were let down. They weren't human; not anymore. Whatever the geth did, it killed them. These were nothing more than tools. Shepard kept these thoughts up as he fired; blotting out the notion that he was effectively re-killing colonists. It didn't help that they took nearly twice as long to kill as geth infantry, either.

After finishing with the husks - and keeping his lunch down - Shepard led his troops to the science camp. Ashley opened the door, and -

"Shut the door!" one of the occupants said. The trio entered, and Kaidan closed the entrance behind them. "Who knows when those things will come back…?"

Shepard attempted to calm the man down. "Take it easy. We'll protect you."

"Thank you," said another person, "but we should be fine. It looks like everyone's gone."

"Dr. Warren," Ashley introduced. "She's in charge of the excavation." She turned to the doctor. "Do you know what happened to the beacon?"

"It was moved to the spaceport this morning. Manuel and I stayed behind to pack up the camp. When the attack came, the marines held them off long enough for us to hide. They gave their lives saving us…"

"No-one is saved," said Manuel. "The age of humanity has ended. Soon, only ruin and corpses will remain!"

"Uh… Okay…?" Shepard turned to Ashley. "Can you take us to the spaceport?"

She nodded. "Got it."

/-/

The team said goodbye to Dr. Warren and her compatriot, and moved up the hill to the port. "What the hell is that?" Kaidan said, referring to the massive ship now taking to the air.

"Look at the size of that ship!" Ashley exclaimed.

Shepard looked instead to the port itself, and all the geth that took up arms there. "Look at the size of the force it left behind."

Once the infantry, husks, and such were disposed of, the three of them advanced up the ramp. They spotted a dead turian lying on the ground. "Commander," Kaidan said, a stunning revelation coming over him, "it's Nihlus…"

Sure enough, it was Nihlus's corpse that lay before them. The turian Spectre had gone ahead of them to scout the spaceport, but something or someone had killed him.

One of the boxes, not ten feet away, moved. Shepard pointed his pistol at the disturbance. "Show yourself! Now!"

"Don't shoot!" The cause of the movement came out from his hiding spot. "Don't shoot; I'm one of you! I'm human."

"…Sneaking up on us like that nearly got you killed." He stowed his gun. "Who are you?"

"My name's Powell. I'm sorry; I was hiding from those… those creatures, whatever they were." Powell pointed to Nihlus's lifeless form. "I saw what happened to that turian. The other one shot him. Your friend there - the other one was waiting for him. Called him 'Saren'; I think they knew each other. Your friend seemed to relax. He let his guard down… And Saren killed him. Shot him, right in the back… I'm just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates."

Kaidan spoke up, "We're here looking for a Prothean beacon. It was supposed to be here. What happened to it?"

"It's over on the other platform, probably where that Saren guy was headed. He hopped on a cargo train right after he killed your friend. I knew that beacon was trouble; things have gone to hell since we found it. First, that damned mother ship showed up, then the attack. They killed everyone. Everyone! If I hadn't been behind the crates, I'd be dead too!"

"We've gotta find that beacon before it's too late!" Shepard stated.

"Take the train. If you're quick, you can probably catch up to him."


	4. Visions

The geth thus far had been significantly weaker than the ones Shepard fought onboard the Britannia or on Syided. These automatons barely even put up a fight anymore, and this fact ate at Shepard for the whole ride to the spaceport platform. Once there, he fired three rounds into an infantry that had been waiting for them, subduing it with haste. A large, beeping cylinder caught his attention at the edge of the platform. "Looks explosive, sir," Kaidan identified. "They're planning to blow this place to smithereens!"

"Alenko, get to work on disarming it," Shepard ordered. "Williams and I will see if we can find any more."

"Yes sir."

While Kaidan worked on disabling the charge, Shepard led Ashley up the ramp. The geth on the catwalk above began to rain fire on them until they were across the bridge. "Kaidan," Shepard called down to his ally, "there's another one up here, behind a support strut."

"Noted," the Lieutenant answered. "Just finished with the first charge, sir." Kaidan rushed up the ramp as the others drew attention away from him. Shepard ordered Ashley to advance every time there was a break in fire. On the second break, she dropped an infantry and reported another charge. "Gotcha," Kaidan said, finishing with the second bomb.

Shepard charged straight at a helpless sniper, blasting it twice with a shotgun after knocking it to the ground. He identified the fourth explosive for Kaidan to disarm before searching diligently for any stragglers or remaining charges. It didn't take too long for the L-T to disable the remaining explosive, stopping the clock at a leisurely 0:19. "That's the last one," Shepard reported.

"Thank god," Kaidan breathed.

"Not good under pressure, lieutenant?" Ashley observed.

"Not when explosives and lives are involved."

Shepard walked to the rear edge of the platform. "I think I see the beacon." He pointed to a vertical rod a few meters away. It was quite tall, and emitted green fog. Three geth troops stood guard at the beacon's base. "On three, we drop them. Be sure not to hit the beacon. One…" They all aimed their pistols at the invaders. "Two… Three." They fired, destroying the guards. "Good work."

/-/

Once Shepard was confident the platform was secure, he radioed the Normandy for pickup. Meanwhile, Kaidan and Ashley went to inspect the beacon as to make sure it wasn't damaged. "This is amazing!" Kaidan breathed. "Actual, working Prothean technology. Unbelievable!"

"It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up," Ashley noted. "Something must've activated it."

"…Roger Normandy, standing by." Shepard stopped his radio chatter and turned to Kaidan as he approached. "We're going to sit here and guard the beacon while the Normandy swings around to pick us up."

"Roger, sir."

They both heard a loud _whoosh_ as the beacon activated. Shepard hurriedly turned to see Ashley resisting something of a pull field dragging her toward the now open data cache. He ran over and grabbed her around the waist, tossing her out of the beacon's area of influence. Now caught in the gravity well, Shepard began to levitate against his will. Short, choppy, unclear images of horror and destruction flooded his mind for what felt like ages. Once the beacon finished filling him with the sensation of dread, it self-destructed and knocked him unconscious.

/-/

Shepard attempted to open his eyes. His head still ached from the wealth of terror as he stirred. _"…Dr. Chakwas,"_ he heard someone say. _"Dr. Chakwas, I th_ink he's waking up."

The Commander groggily sat up. His head was spinning, but he could make out that he was back on the Normandy. More specifically, he was in the Normandy's medical bay. He heard footsteps, and so looked up to see the ship's medic approaching from her desk. "You had us worried there, Shepard," she said. "How are you feeling?"

He groaned. "Like the morning after shore leave…" He held his head. "How long was I out?"

"About fifteen hours. Something happened down there with the beacon, I think."

"It's my fault," he heard Ashley - the voice from before - state. "I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way."

"You had no way of knowing what would happen," Shepard replied. "You don't need to take the blame for anything."

"Actually," Chakwas continued, "we don't even know if that's what set it off. Unfortunately, we'll never get the chance to find out."

Ashley began to explain, "The beacon exploded; a system overload, I think. The blast knocked you cold. The Lieutenant and I carried you back here to the ship."

"Well, I appreciate it."

"Physically, you're fine," Chakwas diagnosed. "But I've detected some unusual brain activity. Abnormal beta waves. I've also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement; signs typically associated with intense dreaming."

Shepard shuddered, but began to try and explain what the beacon had shown him. "I saw… I don't know what… Death, destruction… Nothing's really clear."

"Hm… I'd better add this to my report. It may -" she was interrupted by someone entering the room. "Oh; Captain Anderson."

"How's our XO holding up, doctor?"

"All the readings look normal. I'd say the Commander's going to be fine."

"Good to hear it." He turned to Shepard. "I need to speak with you in private."

"Aye-aye, Captain," Ashley saluted. "I'll be in the mess if you need me." She and Chakwas exited to let the two have their conversation.

"Sounds like that beacon hit you pretty hard, commander. You sure you're okay?"

"I'll live. What did you need to talk with me about?"

Anderson sighed. "I won't lie to you, Shepard. Things look bad. Nihlus is dead, the beacon was destroyed, and geth are invading. The Council's going to want answers."

"The geth would've wiped out the entire colony if I hadn't stopped them."

"No question," he agreed. "I'll stand behind you and your report; you're a damned hero in my books. But, that's not why I'm here. It's Saren, that other turian. Saren's a Spectre - one of the best, a living legend. But if he's working with the geth, it means he's gone rogue. And a rogue Spectre is trouble. Saren's dangerous, and he hates humans."

"Why?"

"He thinks we're growing too fast - taking over the galaxy. A lot of aliens think that way, but most tend not to do anything about it. Saren's allied himself with the geth - I don't know how; I don't know why. I only know it had something to do with that beacon… You were there just before it self-destructed, did you see anything? Any clue what Saren was after?"

"Just before I lost consciousness," Shepard collected, "I had some kind of… vision. I saw synthetics - geth, maybe - slaughtering people… Butchering them."

"We need to report this to the Council."

"What'll we tell them? I had a bad dream?"

"We don't know what kind of information was stored in that beacon. Lost Prothean technology, blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction; whatever it was, Saren took it. But I know Saren. I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans are a blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war. He's got the secrets from the beacon, an army of geth at his back, and he won't stop until he's wiped humanity from the face of the galaxy."

"I'll find some way to take him down."

The Captain shook his head. "It's not that simple. He's a Spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything. That's why we need the Council on our side."

Shepard thought briefly before an idea struck him. "We prove Saren's a traitor and the Council will revoke his Spectre status."

"I'll contact the ambassador and see if he can get us an audience with the Council. They'll want to see us as soon as we arrive on the Citadel."

"I'll go tell Joker not to tip the valet when we're close."

/-/

"…We've identified the ship that touched down on Eden Prime: the Normandy; a Human Alliance vessel. It was under the command of Captain Anderson. They managed to save the colony."

"And the beacon…?"

"One of the humans may have used it."

"…...This human must be eliminated…"


	5. Political Struggling

After Dr. Chakwas prescribed some pain pills for his headache, Shepard made his way up to the CIC with Kaidan and Ashley trailing behind. Joker acknowledged their presence once they entered the cockpit, "Good timing, Commander, I was about to bring us into the Citadel. See that taxpayer money at work."

Joker flew the ship to the mass relay that would take them to the Serpent Nebula and, subsequently, the Citadel. The transit revved up, and shot the Normandy across the galaxy with hardly a rumble. The flight took almost no time, and soon they were soaring through the crystalline dust of an unborn star in the Widow system.

They emerged from the cloud. Out the starboard windowpane, those present in the cockpit could bear witness to the massive, five-armed super-station called the Citadel. As Joker brought them in to dock, they passed an impressive vessel. "Look at the size of that ship!" Ashley breathed.

"The Ascension," Kaidan introduced, "flagship of the Citadel Fleet."

"Well, size isn't everything," Joker muttered.

Ashley shot back, "Why so touchy, Joker?"

"I'm just saying; you need firepower too."

"Look at that monster! Its main gun could tear through the barriers on any ship in the Alliance Fleet!"

"Good thing it's on our side, then," Kaidan said.

Joker gave the two a look before using the radio. "Citadel Control, this is SSV Normandy; requesting permission to land."

_"Standby for clearance, Normandy,"_ came the reply. _"…Clearance granted. You may begin your approach. Transferring you to an Alliance operator."_

"Roger, Alliance Tower. Normandy out."

/-/

Shepard, Ashley, and Kaidan entered the human embassy behind Captain Anderson minutes later. It appeared that Ambassador Udina was presently arguing with three people of varying species via a hologram: the Citadel Council. "This is an outrage!" he exclaimed. "The Council would intervene if the geth attacked a turian colony!"

"The turians," the salarian councilor stated matter-of-factly, "don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador."

"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you ventured into the Traverse," the asari councilor added.

"What about Saren?" the Ambassador argued. "You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre. I demand action!"

The turian councilor leered. "You don't get to make demands of the Council, Ambassador."

"Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren," the asari informed. "We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing; not before."

The transmission ended, and Udina looked like he was fit to burst with the anger inside him. He cleared his throat and approached the Captain. "Captain Anderson. I see you brought half your crew with you."

Anderson was clearly not in the mood for sarcasm. "The ground team from the Eden Prime mission, in case you had any questions."

"I have the mission reports. I hope they're accurate?"

"They are." On a slight change of subject, he added, "Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience."

"They were not happy about it. Saren's their top agent; they don't like him being accused of treason."

Shepard spoke up. "If Saren's allied himself with the geth, they have to listen. He'll be a threat to everyone if they don't."

"Settle down, Shepard. You've already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres. The mission to Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead, Nihlus ended up dead, and the beacon was destroyed."

"That's Saren's fault," Anderson argued, "not his!"

"Then we'd better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations. Otherwise, the Council may use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres, Shepard. Now, Anderson, come with me; we need to go over a few things before the hearing. The rest of you can meet us at the Citadel Tower, top floor. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in."

Once Udina and Anderson left, Ashley glared through the door, muttering, "And that's why I hate politicians…"

/-/

After the trio left the embassy, they took a walk around the Presidium. It was a tranquil place, with lush vegetation and beings of all races getting along for the most part. A VI, who had introduced itself as Avina, gave them a tour of the place. They started at Citadel Tourism Terminal 1, which itself was in the front of the Embassy and above, apparently, C-Sec HQ. Terminal 2 was just outside the Citadel Tower, which Shepard reminded himself heavily to go to after the tour. From here, the group could also see the famous Relay Monument, designed to look like a mass relay; its intricacy and masterful craftsmanship a legacy to the Protheans who built it.

But, none of this has anything to do with what's important, does it? I should get back on track.

After the tour, Shepard and company trekked back to the Tower. Stepping out of the elevator, they saw two turian C-Sec officers arguing. "Saren's hiding something," one said. He seemed to be the other's subordinate, and by his tone he didn't seem too happy about it. "Give me more time; stall them!"

"Stall the Council?" the other said. "Don't be ridiculous. Your investigation is over Garrus." With that, he left.

The subordinate sighed. When he saw the Commander and his team, he approached them. "Commander Shepard," he said, "Garrus Vakarian. I was the C-Sec officer in charge of the Saren investigation."

"Sounds like you really want to bring him down," Shepard noted.

"I don't like him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. But he's a Spectre; everything he touches is classified. I can't find any hard evidence."

Kaidan tapped Shepard on the shoulder. "I think the Council's ready for us, sir."

"Good luck, Shepard. Maybe they'll listen to you."

Shepard left Garrus to his devices and walked up the stairs to the Council Chamber. Anderson greeted them when they got to the top. "The hearing's already started. Come on."

They ascended the rest of the staircase, and Shepard could hear what was going on up ahead. "…The geth attack on Eden Prime is a matter of _some_ concern," the asari councilor said. "But there is no evidence to suggest Saren was involved in any way."

"The C-Sec investigation turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason," the turian councilor added.

The ambassador scowled. "An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood."

"We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador," the salarian stated. "The testimony of one _traumatized_ dockworker is hardly compelling proof."

A giant, holographic image of an intimidating turian spoke. "I resent these accusations. Nihlus was a fellow Spectre. And a friend."

"That just let you catch him off guard!" Anderson shot.

"Captain Anderson. You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me." Saren then looked at Shepard. "And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard; the one who let the beacon get destroyed."

"So you're Saren, then," Shepard observed.

"The one and only."

"The mission to Eden Prime was top-secret. The only way you could know about the beacon is if you were there!"

Saren tutted, "With Nihlus gone, his files passed on to me. I read the Eden Prime report. I was… unimpressed. But, what can you expect…from a _human?_"

Shepard clenched a fist, willing himself not to try and punch the giant hologram. "Saren despises humanity. That's why he attacked Eden Prime!"

"Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard. You're not ready to join the Council; you aren't even ready to join the Spectres."

"He has no right to say that!" Udina snapped. "That's not his decision!"

The asari councilor addressed Saren. "Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting."

"This meeting _has_ no purpose!" Saren said firmly. "The humans are wasting your time, Councilor, and mine."

"Saren's hiding behind his position as a Spectre!" Shepard proclaimed. "Is it just that hard to see?"

"Thus far," the salarian councilor informed, "we've had no evidence on the matter. We cannot accept a charge of treason without proof."

"There's still one outstanding issue," Anderson said, playing their trump card. "Commander Shepard's vision; it may have been triggered by the beacon. He reportedly saw-"

"Are we allowing _dreams_ into evidence, now?" Saren interrupted, incinerating Anderson's deck. "How am I supposed to defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?"

"I agree," the turian councilor said. "Our judgment must be based on facts and evidence, instead of wild imaginings and reckless speculation."

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?" the salarian councilor asked.

Shepard sighed. "You've made your decision, Councilor. Why should I even bother?"

The Council gave each other various looks and headshakes before the asari councilor spoke. "The Council has found no evidence connecting Saren to the geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied."

If turians could make human facial expressions, a wicked grin would have placed itself on Saren's face. "I'm glad to see justice was served." On that note, the giant hologram dissipated and deactivated.

"This meeting is adjourned."

/-/

Udina joined the others at the bottom of the stairs. "It was a mistake bringing you into that hearing, Captain," he said. "You and Saren have too much history; it made the Council question our motives."

"I know Saren," Anderson justified. "He's allied himself with the geth for one reason: to exterminate the entire human race. Every colony we have is at risk. Every world we control is in danger - even Earth isn't safe!"

Udina's statement occurred to Shepard, who said to the Captain, "You never told me about your history with Saren."

Anderson wrung his hands together. "I worked with him on a mission a long time ago… Things went bad. Real bad… We shouldn't talk about this here. But I know what he's like, and he has to be stopped."

Shepard nodded. "So what's our next move?"

"As a Spectre," Udina analyzed, "he's virtually untouchable. We need to find some way to expose him."

"What about Garrus," Kaidan spoke up, "that C-Sec investigator? We saw him arguing with the executor."

"That's right," Ashley said. "He was asking for more time to finish his report. It seems like he was close to finding something on Saren."

"Where would we find him?" Shepard asked.

"I have a contact in C-Sec that can help us track Garrus down," Udina offered. "His name is Harkin."

Anderson shook his head. "Forget it. They suspended Harkin last month for drinking on the job. I won't waste my time with that loser."

"You don't have to. I don't want the Council using your past history with Saren as an excuse to ignore anything we turn up. Shepard and his team will be handling this."

"The captain deserves better," Shepard said. "You can't just cut him out of this."

"It's fine, Shepard," Anderson stated. "The ambassador's right. I'll step aside."

"Now that that's taken care of," Udina said, "I have other business to attend to. Captain, meet me in my office later."

The ambassador left, allowing Captain Anderson to point Shepard in the right direction. "Harkin's probably getting drunk in Chora's Den; a dingy little club down in the lower Wards."

"You said yourself you don't want to waste time with him. Maybe there's another way?"

"Hm… You should speak to Barla Von. Word is he's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

"The Shadow Who-now?" Kaidan asked.

"An information dealer - buys and sells information to the highest bidder. I heard Barla Von is one of his top representatives. He may know something about Saren, but his insight won't be cheap."

"We'll get right on it," Shepard said.

"Good luck."


	6. The Runaround

Why is it that when you're trying to get someplace fast, the elevator takes years to get there? That question basically sums up Shepard's attitude towards the Citadel's elevators at this moment. Slow, time-consuming… "If we can travel faster than light to cross the galaxy in seconds," he thought out loud, "then why do the elevators still move as slow as molasses?"

When the slow-as-snails elevator arrived where they needed to be, Shepard decided he no-longer wanted anything to do with them, instead opting for the extremely fast shuttle that could race you to anywhere on the Citadel. The gang took it to the financial district and walked the few leisurely steps to Barla Von's information kiosk. "Ah," huffed the volus at the front desk, "one of the Earth-clan. An important one, yes? You are the one called Shepard. The tale of how you survived the tragedy on Akuze is truly remarkable; I am amazed each time I hear it."

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage."

"Forgive me, Earth-clan. My name is Barla Von - my job makes it necessary to keep informed. I am a financial adviser to many important clients here on the Citadel. When someone as important as yourself arrives on the station, I take notice."

"Word is that you work for the Shadow Broker. I need information on a man called Saren."

"Straight to the point, then. Yes, I am an agent for the Shadow Broker, and I do know something about Saren."

"How much will this information cost me?"

"Normally, it would cost you a small fortune. But, these are exceptional circumstances, so I will simply give it to you - free of charge."

"We'll bite," Ashley said. "What's the catch?"

"There is no catch. The Shadow Broker is extremely upset with Saren at the moment. Business between them was plentiful, until Saren turned on him."

"Surprise, surprise," Kaidan muttered.

"I know not the details, but the Shadow Broker hired a freelancer to deal with it: a krogan mercenary."

"Not much to go on," Shepard said.

"I just told you that the most famous Spectre in the galaxy betrayed the Shadow Broker. Quite a bargain, considering the price. Go speak with the krogan if you want to know more. I heard he's paying a visit to Citadel Security. You may catch him at the academy if you hurry."

"Well, we know where we're headed next. Thank you for the information, Barla Von."

"Until we meet again, Earth-clan."

/-/

The trio took the rapid-transit shuttle to the Presidium Embassies and hauled ass to the C-Sec Academy. Once there, they saw several officers surrounding a rather large krogan in red armor. Approaching, Shepard overheard what seemed to be the last of their conversation. "Do you _want_ me to arrest you?" the officer said.

The krogan simply chuckled. "I want you to try." He looked over and saw Shepard and company. He approached them, leaving the officer with a mess at the back of his trousers. Up close, this krogan was even bigger than anticipated, towering over the group even while slouching. "Yes, human?"

"I'm trying to take down Saren," Shepard informed. "Barla Von said to come talk to you."

"Barla Von is a wise man. We may share a common goal, human."

"Enlighten me."

"I've been hired to kill the owner of Chora's Den: a man named Fist. He did something very foolish. I'll give you three guesses as to what he did; I know you'll get it."

"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker," Kaidan guessed.

"Exactly. A quarian showed up on the Citadel. She was on the run - wanted to trade information for a place to hide, so she went to Fist."

"A quarian?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, human," Wrex said impatiently, "I said 'a quarian.' May I continue?" Silence emanated from the squad. "Good. Now, Fist promised to arrange a meeting between her and the Shadow Broker. Instead, he contacted Saren. Apparently, she has information linking Saren to the geth. He paid Fist a small fortune for her."

"If we get our hands on that evidence," Kaidan said, risking the wrath of this krogan, "we can prove Saren's a traitor. The Council will have to listen to us!"

"If Saren doesn't already have her," Shepard said, though he hoped heavily it wasn't the case.

"Last I heard, Fist still had her," the krogan stated. "Probably somewhere inside his club. You help me kill Fist, she's all yours."

"What about Garrus?" Ashley finally spoke up. "He wants to take Saren down too; we should find him."

Shepard considered it. "He would be a great help."

"He was here before you showed up," the krogan informed. "Said he was going to follow up a lead on his investigation. He went to talk with the doctor in the med clinic."

/-/

The ever-convenient rapid-transport took the group to the clinic down in the wards. Upon entering, Shepard felt they may have made a terrible mistake, as there was a conflict in progress. The doctor was being held at gunpoint by around five mercenaries, and Garrus was crawling out of sight along the counter. "Please," the doctor said, "I didn't tell anyone. I swear!"

"That was smart, doc," said a mercenary. "Now if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we'll -" He was interrupted when he saw Shepard and all. He grabbed the doctor and used her as a human shield. "Who the hell are you?" he shouted. Garrus saw the confusion and took a shot at the merc. One shot to the temple was more than enough to stop the gunman and kill him.

"Anyone else feel like shooting?" Garrus asked rhetorically. The four remaining outlaws dropped their weapons and submitted. "That's what I thought. Now, you all just stay on your knees until Citadel Security arrives." The turian holstered his weapon, took a moment to fake-out the mercenaries, and walked over to the protagonists. "Great timing, Shepard, gave me a clear shot at that bastard." He turned to the doctor. "Dr. Michel, are you hurt?"

Michel shook her head. "No, I'm okay. But I'll feel a lot safer once these thugs are out of here."

"Why were they threatening you?" Shepard asked.

"They work for Fist. They wanted to shut me up - keep me from telling Garrus about the quarian."

"The one I told you about, Shepard," the krogan, who had long-since introduced himself as Urdnot Wrex, said.

"She must be able to link Saren to the geth," Garrus guessed. "There's no way the Council can ignore this!"

"That's the hope," Ashley said.

Shepard gave a serious expression. "I think it's about time we paid Fist a visit."

"This is your story, Shepard," Garrus said, "but I want to bring Saren down as much as you do. I'm coming with you."

"You're a turian, though - no disrespect. Why do you want to take him down?"

Shepard may as well have started a fire and given it a whole bottle of kerosene. "I couldn't find the proof I needed in my investigation but I knew what was really going on. Saren is a traitor to the Council, and a _disgrace_ to my people!"

"…I'd say that's reason enough. Welcome aboard, Garrus."

"Fist is going to be waiting for us. When we hit him, we'd better hit him hard."

"You've got me," Wrex said. "Hits don't get much harder than that."

/-/

Taking the transit once more, Shepard and company hustled to Chora's Den, a gentleman's club in the lower Wards. "Looks like nobody's working," Kaidan observed, as the neon lights above were now off.

"Fist is waiting for us," Wrex said. Everyone drew their weapons and stormed the club.


	7. The One-and-Only

The raid was surprisingly simple. Shepard and Garrus pelted mercs and bodyguards with assault rifle rounds while Wrex pummeled some poor gunman behind the bar. Ashley took up a shotgun while Kaidan did his best to keep them all held off with biotics. There was exactly one krogan bouncer who didn't last long under continuous fire. Pretty soon, the entire bar was empty, save for the crew that just cleaned it out.

Kaidan and Ashley set up at either side of the door leading to Fist's office. "Sir," Ashley said, "I think I hear him." Shepard crept to the door and listened. Sure enough, someone could be heard on the other side, complaining about "useless mercs".

"On my go," he whispered, "we go in and take him by surprise. And Wrex, you're going to have to leave him alive long enough for us to interrogate him."

Wrex nodded. "I'll do my best. Don't blame me if I shoot him out of boredom, though."

As soon as they opened the door, two high-power turrets opened fire on them. "Garrus," Shepard commanded, "you and Kaidan see what you can do about those turrets!"

"On it, Shepard," the turian answered, getting to work on hacking the guns. It took a couple of minutes, and the focused fire didn't exactly help, but Garrus and Kaidan were finally done reprogramming the automatic guns. They fizzled and permanently shut down. "There's nowhere to hide now, Fist! You may as well come quietly."

The club owner stood from behind the desk with a handgun, but was quickly disarmed by Ashley. He fell back with a yell as the shot hit him in the arm. "Please," he pleaded, "don't kill me! I surrender!"

"I'll consider it," Shepard said, "if you tell me where the quarian is."

"S-She's not here. I don't know where she is, I swear!"

"Hm… That sounds like an excuse for Wrex to kill you." As he stated this, Wrex gave a sinister grin as he pumped his shotgun.

"Wait! Wait, I know where you can find her. She's not here; said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker himself."

"Face-to-face?" Wrex said. "Impossible. Even I was hired through an agent."

Shepard ordered everyone to holster their weapons as Fist stood. "Nobody meets the Shadow Broker… Ever. Even I don't know his true identity. But she didn't know that. I told her I'd set a meeting up. But when she shows up, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her."

"Where?" Shepard glared, gripping the collar of the manager's shirt. "Tell me where this is going to happen."

"Here in the Wards," Fist whimpered, "in the back alley near the markets. She's supposed to meet them right now. You can make it if you hurry. Just please, don't kill me…."

Wrex decided to do the exact opposite of what Fist asked, and shot him square in the chest. This action earned him three other guns pointed at him as well as an actual verbal threat from Ashley. He would later remark that this sort of retaliation was "worth every penny".

"What the hell are you doing?" Kaidan asked incredulously. "He surrendered!"

"The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him," Wrex justified. "I don't leave jobs half-done. Besides, how many people died because of him? I'd say his death more than repays that."

"Bah, never mind that now," Garrus said. "We still have a quarian to save."

"We need to move," Shepard ordered, "right now!"

/-/

It was a terrifyingly long sprint to the market back alley. It felt like several miles, even though it was only a couple dozen yards from Chora's Den. This would be mentally recorded by Shepard as the second-longest short distance he would ever travel.

They ran up the stairs to the alley, just in time to hear a pair of voices. "Did you bring it?" the first, a male voice, asked.

"Where's the Shadow Broker?" the second, distinctly female voice replied. "Where's Fist?"

"They'll be here. Where's the evidence?"

"Forget it. The deal's off."

Shepard and company got to a vantage point just in time to watch as the female voice's owner, the quarian they'd been searching for, rolled out of the way of a grenade she dropped, incapacitating two salarian troopers. "Open fire!" Shepard yelled, surprising the male voice's owner, a turian. Garrus, Wrex, Kaidan, and Ashley pelted the turian and salarians with a combination of bullets and biotics, ceasing their ambush on the quarian. "At ease," the commander ordered, walking over to the quarian. _There's something familiar about her… What is it?_ "Are you alright, Miss…?"

"My name is-" she said, stopping when she got a look at him. "…John?"

"…Tali? Is that you?"

She embraced him, and he returned it. "Where have you been? It's been so long!"

"Well, it's only been a few months," Shepard said modestly.

"It felt like years."

"Um, Shepard," Garrus interrupted. "You mind introducing us to… well, whoever this is?"

"Yeah, what gives, Commander?" Kaidan asked.

Tali looked at Shepard, the faintest outline of a smile showing under her helmet. "'Commander' now, are you? Last time I saw you, you were just a little lieutenant."

"These things happen." Shepard gestured to the girl in his arms as he addressed the team. "Everyone, this is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. She is, quite possibly, my single most-favorite person I've ever met. We met back on Mindoir when -"

"That's all _very_ touching, Commander," Ashley interrupted, "but we kind of need her information about Saren, in case you'd forgotten."

"That's right! Saren is working with the geth," Tali stated, "and I have proof. We can't discuss this here, though; we need somewhere with a little more security."

"We can take her to the human embassy on the Presidium," Garrus said. "Your ambassador will want to see this anyway. After that, then _maybe_ we can be all snuggly about you two. Maybe."

/-/

Shepard and company entered the embassy, where Ambassador Udina was waiting with his back to the door. "You're not making my life easy, Shepard," he said disdainfully. "Firefights in the Wards, an all-out assault on Chora's Den; do you know-" He saw Tali and sighed. "Who is this, the quarian? What are you up to, Shepard?"

"Making your day, Ambassador," Shepard answered. "She has information linking Saren to the geth."

"Really? I guess you'd better start at the beginning, Miss…?"

"My name is Tali," she introduced. "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

"We don't see many quarians here. Why did you leave the Flotilla?"

"I was on my Pilgrimage; my right of passage into adulthood. It is a tradition among my people. When we reach maturity, we leave the ships of our parents - and our people - behind. Alone, we travel the stars, only returning once we find something of value. In this way, we prove ourselves worthy of adulthood."

"So, what did you find?" Shepard asked.

"Well, you remember Keenah, from Syided? Well, with his help, I tracked some geth to an uncharted world. I disabled one, and hacked its memory core."

"I thought geth fried their memory cores when they died? Some kind of defense mechanism?" Anderson asked.

"Well, _we_ created the geth. If you're quick, careful, and lucky, small caches of data can be saved sometimes. By the time I got this evidence, most of its memory was already wiped clean. I did manage to grab this, though."

She powered up her omni-tool, opening an audio log she had saved. In it, a dreadfully familiar voice was recounting his latest achievement. _"Eden Prime was a major victory,"_ he said. _"The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."_

"That's Saren's voice!" Anderson said. "This proves he was involved in the attack!"

Shepard began to contemplate, "He said Eden Prime brought him 'one step closer to finding the Conduit.' Any Idea what that means?"

"The Conduit must have something to do with the beacon. Maybe some kind of Prothean technology… Like a weapon."

"Wait," Tali said, "there's more. Saren wasn't working alone."

She played the recording back full-length. Saren stated, again, _"Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."_ This time, however, he was followed by a second, clearly feminine voice. _"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers…"_

Udina furrowed his eyebrows. "…I don't recognize that other voice; the one talking about 'Reapers'."

"What even is a 'Reaper'?" Kaidan asked.

"According to the memory core," Tali explained, "the Reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that existed fifty-thousand years ago. They hunted the Protheans to total extinction, then they vanished! At least… that's what the geth believe."

"Sounds a little far-fetched," Udina passed.

Shepard's headache began to flare, and he was compelled to give his two cents on the matter. "The vision from Eden Prime. I think I understand it now. I was watching the Reapers exterminate the Protheans."

"The geth revere the Reapers as gods," Tali informed, "the pinnacle of non-organic life. And they believe Saren knows how to bring them back."

"The Council is just going to love this…" Udina said sarcastically.


	8. Spectre Status-Quo

"No matter what they think about the rest of this," Anderson stated, "those audio files _prove_ Saren's a traitor!"

Udina thought a moment before agreeing. "…The captain's right. The Council needs to see this right away."

"What about her?" Wrex asked. "The quarian?"

She snapped back. "My name is Tali! You saw me in the alley, Shepard; you know what I can do. Now that I have some free time as well, I'm coming with you." She began to trip over her words. "Th-That is… That is if you still want me to?"

"What about your Pilgrimage?" Shepard asked.

"The Pilgrimage proves we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good. What does it say about me if I turn my back on this? Saren is a danger to the entire galaxy. If he's not stopped, my Pilgrimage will mean absolutely nothing. It can wait."

"Well, I'm glad you can finally come with me. And it never hurts to have an extra pair of hands."

"You won't regret this."

"I wouldn't have anyway."

Udina cleared his throat. "Anderson and I will go ahead and get things ready with the Council. You all take a few minutes to collect yourselves, then meet us at the Tower. Miss Zorah, if you'll follow me."

Tali nodded, then spoke once more to Shepard, "I guess I'll see you at the Tower?"

"Just ten minutes; then we'll head over."

Once Tali left with Udina and Anderson, Garrus stepped over to Shepard. "Alright," he said, "how do you know her? I mean, if nobody else wants to ask, I might as well."

"Plus," Kaidan added, "I'm kind of curious to how you got to be so famous - everyone seems to recognize you at a glance, and I acted like a complete stooge when I met you."

"Well," Shepard started, choosing his words carefully, "we met about… I think it was a year or so ago; on my home world, Mindoir."

"The one from the news a while back?" Garrus asked.

"Yeah. I was volunteering at a clinic while she recovered from some injuries. Then she had to leave a few months later. I was really upset for about two weeks after that, and my friends suggested I join the Alliance. Day Zero rolls around and some abnormally pissed geth show up. _Geth!_ Of all things that could happen!"

"Guess I was wrong back on Eden Prime, then," Kaidan conceded. "Sorry, continue."

"Anyway, after the geth assaulted the Britannia and everyone was patched up, Commander Mitra gave me…" Shepard counted his fingers, "something like seventeen promotions just on the spot. He said I was brave, I took charge, and above all, I saw to it that my team got out of there safely."

Shepard then began retelling the tale of how he, Burke, and Mitra worked with the ground team of the quarian Honorata on Syided. He told of geth, fury, betrayal, reunion, and a last-second getaway that resulted in the loss of Romeo Squad's Mako that never ended up being used.

Ashley cleared her throat, collecting the trio's attention. "I hate to interrupt, sir, but I think we should be heading that way soon."

/-/

Shepard was technically wrong, as he, Kaidan, and Ashley made it to the Citadel Tower in 9-and-one-quarter minutes. Anderson, again, was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. "Come on," he said. "Udina is presenting the quarian's evidence to the Council."

The two of them climbed up to the platform as Tali's recording played back again. "You wanted proof," Udina stated boldly, "There it is."

"This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador," the turian councilor admitted. "Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status, and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes."

The asari councilor seemed to be deep in thought before speaking up. "I recognize the other voice, the one speaking with Saren: Matriarch Benezia."

"Who's she?" Shepard asked.

"Matriarchs are powerful asari who have entered the final stage of their lives. Revered for their wisdom and experience, they serve as guides and mentors to my people. Matriarch Benezia is a powerful biotic and she had many followers; she will make a formidable ally for Saren."

"I'm more interested in the 'Reapers'," the salarian councilor said. "What do you know about them?"

"Only what was extracted from the geth's memory core," Anderson answered. "The Reapers were an ancient race of machines that wiped out the Protheans. Then they vanished."

"The geth believe the Reapers are gods," Shepard continued, "and Saren is the prophet for their return."

"We believe the Conduit is the key to bringing them back. Saren's searching for it. That's why he attacked Eden Prime."

The salarian councilor frowned. "Do we even know what this 'Conduit' is?"

"If Saren thinks it can bring back the Reapers," Shepard said, "it's bad enough."

"Listen to what you're saying," the turian councilor said scornfully. "Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible; has to be. Where did the reapers go? Why did they vanish? Why have we found no trace of their existence?" He crossed his arms. "If they were real, we'd have found something."

"I tried to warn you about Saren and you refused to face the truth. It's not healthy to repeat mistakes."

"This is different," the asari councilor stated. "You proved Saren is a traitor; we all agree he's using the geth to find the Conduit. But we don't really know why."

"The reapers are obviously just a myth, Commander," the salarian councilor said. "A convenient lie to cover Saren's true purpose; a legend he is using to bend the geth to his will."

"The Reapers wiped out all galactic civilization fifty thousand years ago," Shepard argued. "If Saren finds the Conduit, it _will_ happen again."

The turian councilor shook his head. "Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life. He no longer has the rights or resources of a Spectre, and the Council has stripped him of his position."

"That is not good enough!" Udina shouted. "You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse - send your fleet in!"

"A fleet," the salarian councilor explained, "cannot track down one man."

"The Citadel Fleet could secure the entire region; keep the geth from attacking any more of our colonies!"

"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems," the turian councilor said. "We won't be dragged into a galactic conflict over a few dozen human colonies."

"Every time humanity asks for help," Shepard said, "you ignore us."

"Shepard's right," Udina snapped. "I'm sick of this Council and its anti-human bull -!"

"Ambassador!" the asari councilor interrupted. "…There is another solution. A way to stop Saren without fleets or armies."

"No!" The turian councilor seemed about fed up with this hearing. "It's too soon. Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the Spectres!"

"I faced Saren on Eden Prime and exposed him for a traitor." Shepard crossed his arms. "I've earned this."

The three councilors gave each other looks and accessed their respective terminals before the asari spoke again. "Commander Shepard, step forward." Anderson and Shepard shared a glance, and Shepard complied. People on the walkways above began to stir, converse, and etcetera, as Shepard stood at the end of the platform. "It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."

"Spectres are not trained," the salarian councilor picked up, "but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whose actions elevate them above the rank-and-file."

"Spectres are an ideal; a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will."

"Spectres bear a great burden," the turian councilor continued reluctantly. "They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

"You are the first human Spectre, Commander. This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species."

Shepard didn't exactly have a speech prepared, so he bowed and said, "I am honored, Councilor."

"We are sending you into the Traverse after Saren," the salarian councilor said, getting right to business. "He is a fugitive of justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him."

"We will forward any relevant files for your mission to Udina," the turian councilor said.

"This meeting of the Council is adjourned."

Anderson shook Shepard's hand after the Council left. "Congratulations, Commander."

"We have a lot of work to do," Udina said, thinking all the while. "You're going to need a ship, a crew, supplies… Anderson, come with me. I'll need your help setting it all up."

Once they were gone, it was Tali's turn to approach the new Spectre. "I had expected the ambassador to be a little more grateful… He didn't even thank you."

"I haven't exactly done anything yet," Shepard explained. "There's still the matter of finding Saren and stopping him."

"What are we waiting for then?" Wrex asked. "Let's go."

/-/

As Shepard and company entered the docking bay, they were greeted by the Ambassador. "I've got big news for you, Shepard," he said. "Captain Anderson is stepping down as commanding officer of the Normandy. The ship is yours now."

Anderson nodded. "She's quick and quiet, and you know the crew; perfect ship for a Spectre. Treat her well, Commander."

Shepard was surprised at the very idea of being in charge of the Normandy. "I…"

The Captain raised his hand, silencing the Commander. "You needed a ship. A Spectre doesn't answer to anyone but the Council. And… It's time for me to step down anyway."

Still stunned, Shepard cleared his throat. "What kind of leads do we have?"

"Saren's gone; don't even try to find him. But we know what he's after. He's got his geth scouring the Traverse for clues about the Conduit."

"We had reports of geth in the Feros system shortly before our colony there dropped out of contact," Udina informed. "And there have been sightings around Noveria."

"Find out what Saren was after on Feros and Noveria. Maybe you can figure out where the Conduit is before he does."

"Anything else?" Shepard asked.

"We have one more lead," Udina said. "It's not too much to go on… Matriarch Benezia - that other voice from the recording - has a daughter; a scientist who specializes in the Protheans. We don't know if she's involved, but it may be a good idea to try and find her. Her name is Liara; Dr. Liara T'Soni. We have reports that she was exploring an archaeological dig on one of the uncharted worlds in the Artemis Tau cluster."

"Sounds like we should head for the Artemis Tau cluster."

"It's your call, Shepard. But remember: Your actions reflect on humanity as a whole. You make a mess and I get stuck cleaning it up."

"I'll try to keep that in mind, Ambassador."

/-/

Shortly after getting debriefed by Anderson, Shepard and company entered the ship that would carry them on their mission. Shepard headed directly for the cockpit while everyone else got comfortable. "I heard what happened to Captain Anderson," Joker said. "Survives a hundred battles, then gets taken down by backroom politics. Just watch your back, Commander. Things go bad on this mission; it'll be your head on the chopping block."

"This feels wrong," Shepard said. "Captain Anderson should be in charge. It's like I'm stealing the ship from him."

"Yeah, but the Captain got screwed. It's not like you could've stopped it, no one's blaming you. Everyone on this ship's behind you one hundred percent. Intercom's open if you have anything to say."

The new CO-and-Spectre thought briefly, and pressed the button. "This is Commander Shepard speaking," he began. "We have our orders: find Saren before he finds the Conduit. I won't lie, this mission won't be easy. For too long, our species has stood apart from the others. Now it's time for us to step up and do our part for the galaxy. Time to show them what humans are made of!

Our enemy knows we're coming; Saren's followers will be waiting for us in the Traverse. So we need to be ready for them, too. This is the most important mission we've ever been on. The fate of an entire galaxy is at stake. Whatever it takes, we _will_ stop Saren."

Shepard stepped back from the mike. "Well said, Commander," Joker commended. "The Captain would be proud."

"Not if we fail, he won't. The Captain gave up everything so I could have this chance. Now, we have a rogue Spectre to track down."

"Yes sir!"


	9. Bits and Pieces: Garrus Knows

**Note:** Sincere apologies, but I haven't finished the _actual_ ninth chapter of this story quite yet. So, to hold you over until I do, here's a quick little mini-chapter. Again, sorry, and I hope you enjoy.

"Shepard," Garrus greeted the commander as he entered Engineering, "Do you have a minute?"

"What's up, Vakarian?" Shepard answered, approaching the turian standing next to the Normandy's shiny new Mako.

"It's about the quarian, Tali. More specifically, about the way you introduced her."

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Just, something isn't right either. You never fully explained how you know this girl, but you seem really close to her. So, I thought about every little thing you did explain and came up with the reason." He folded his arms. "You two are together, aren't you?"

Shepard was genuinely surprised at Garrus's accusation - more so because it was correct. "How did you-?"

"It wasn't _too_ difficult. It mostly revealed itself in your body language around her. I'm no expert on this sort of thing, but it was pretty clear you two have a thing for each other."

"…Okay," the commander conceded with a sigh. "You're right."

"Just like that?" Garrus asked, half-disappointed. "I had a whole speech prepared and everything. You're just going to let me have this victory?"

"Garrus, I already fought off one guy with the same arguments you likely have; I'm not going to stir that beehive again."

"Well then… Can I at least say this?"

"Shoot."

The turian extended one hand. "I wish nothing but the best."

Confused, Shepard shook Garrus's hand. "Thanks. Um… why?"

"Because you two have been through it all. I was going to point out how recent - not to mention demanding - dextro-levo relationships are. Hell, interspecies relationships are already extremely complicated; you suffered through more than would break any so-called 'normal' pair. Then there's the whole food barrier issue: you can't eat the same foods or you'll get sick. And the suit -"

"Alright!" Shepard interrupted, raising his hands in surrender. "I get it; there are a few issues. But so help me I will do everything to make this work. Because she is more than just a woman: she is the most important person in my life right now. I will not let something as little as a food barrier or a suit drive us apart. In fact…" Shepard turned and left, muttering, "I'd better make sure we have a stock of dextro-foods in the mess…"

Garrus watched from his station as Shepard returned to the elevator. As soon as the door closed, he looked toward the front of the Mako. "You can come out now."

Tali emerged from her hiding spot. "Thanks, Garrus," she said. "I'm glad you could help me with this. I know that everything he said was true, but he doesn't seem to grasp that I can't eat cheeseburgers with him."

"No problem. The lack of dextro-food was bugging me too. Maybe he'll pick some up before we go."

"I hope so. I at least have a few food preserves left if nothing else." She paused briefly, then slugged him in the arm with the might of a mouse.

"Ow," Garrus feigned. "What was that for?"

"For bringing up the issue with my suit!"


	10. (Not-So) Slow Ride

Shepard stood at the platform behind the Normandy's galaxy map. Even though he held that taking Anderson's ship from him felt wrong, there was one thing he always wanted to do. He selected the Artemis Tau star cluster and told Joker to head for… let's call it the Knossos system. Shepard didn't know where Dr. T'Soni was, so he decided on random selection. Once the coordinates were set, he called everyone to the conference room. "Alright." Shepard cleared his throat, assuming leader mode. "We're en route to the Knossos system in Artemis Tau. We'll be searching for Dr. Liara T'Soni there. I don't imagine we'll be alone there, so we'll need to make sure we're prepared."

"I'm willing to bet Saren's geth are on their way, too," Garrus said. "We'll need to send someone who can disable them. I vote Tali since she's our geth expert."

Tali nodded. "If they have anything heavy, we'll also need someone suited to destroy. Or even someone who can help us do the destroying."

"I'll do it," Wrex volunteered. "I can fit both roles no problem."

"Then we have our ground team. The rest of you are dismissed."

/-/

For those who don't know: the planet our protagonists are going to is Therum. It is a terrestrial planet, second from its star, and has about one-and-one-quarter Earth masses. Being so close to the sun, Therum gets to be 59 degrees Celsius on the surface; so Shepard was outfitted with the thermal armor he wore on Syided some time ago. Tali tweaked her kinetic barrier so it would filter the intense heat. Poor Wrex would just have to deal with it, as the Normandy didn't have krogan-standard armor for this sort of mission. "So, how are we getting down there?" the krogan asked.

/-/

Wrex and Tali screamed for their lives as Shepard fired the Mako's thrusters to slow their descent. The rover crashed into the ground, leaving no lasting damage to itself or its occupants. "That was fun," Shepard panted, turning in his seat. "Everyone alright?"

"I'll be fine," Tali reported, gulping in air to calm down, "as soon as I'm certain everything is where it should be."

"I'll live," Wrex confirmed.

_"Commander,"_ Joker radioed. _"Do you read?"_

"Roger, Joker. What is it?"

_"We're getting some weird readings coming from some Prothean ruins nearby; like, off the damn charts. Since you're already down there, could you maybe check it out?"_

"Could be interesting," he said, starting forward. "Send us the coordinates."

/-/

Shepard's Mako-driving skills left little to be desired as the rover flew across Therum's surface with the approximate grace of a moose. Shepard couldn't drive a golf cart; he didn't know what made him think he'd be any better behind the wheel of a heavy-armored tank. Yet, somehow or another, he managed not to get everyone killed, even ramming a few geth along the way.

Yes, there are geth on Therum, and shame on you for believing otherwise.

Anyway, after about two miles of rumbling, shooting, and flailing, Shepard was forced to park the rover. "Why are we stopping?" Tali asked, half-relieved that the ordeal was over.

"There's a twenty-meter wall of stone sticking straight up. We can't drive through it."

"This thing lived through getting shot with rockets and turning upside-down," Wrex observed, "and it can't get past a few rocks?"

"Exactly. Don't ask me why; if I designed it, it'd be a goddamn jet. Or at least turn into one." On that note, he unstrapped himself from the seat. "We can hoof it from here; just another half-kilometer."

"Great…"

So, the trio exited the Mako and proceeded on foot, burning through ammo and geth like it was their job, because it basically was. They walked along the ridge, and Tali pointed out a structure about two football fields away. "I think those are the ruins," she said.

"No doubt their going to be waiting for us," Wrex stated.

Just as soon as he said it, a geth drop ship flew in above them, dropping several shock troopers, two snipers, and an armature. The heavy armor stood, staring at them from just outside the dig site's entrance ramp, and revved its main gun as its comrades scattered. "Everyone get down!" Shepard ordered as the armature fired a white-hot ball of plasma in their direction. Tali and the commander dove left behind a large crate while Wrex dodged right, allowing the rocket to pass them harmlessly. "Everyone alright?"

"A little shaken," Tali reported, "but I'm fine."

"No lasting damage," Wrex answered over the hail of gunfire that now separated him from the other heroes. "So, these are geth?"

Tali nodded. "A race of machines originally intended as cheap labor. Now, they work for Saren."

"I'm pretty sure I was there for the debriefing."

The krogan loaded his shotgun, to which Shepard remarked, "What are you hoping to do with that from this range?"

"This." Wrex fired a mass of glowing red at a closing duo of infantry, swiftly and effectively decimating them.

"What was that?!" Tali asked incredulously.

"That was me, raining carnage on the geth. Why; is there a problem?"

The quarian and commander shook their heads, joining the gunfight. "Tali," Shepard said, "what can you do about that armor?"

"I can overload its shields. That should buy you a few free shots."

Shepard equipped his Hammer III assault sniper, picking off a geth marksman immediately after. "Do it. Wrex, go up that ridge. Once its shields go down… I don't know, improvise." The commander continued to fire on the geth's snipers while Tali worked beside him. In moments, the armature's kinetic barriers were disabled. "Now, Wrex!"

What came next was easily the greatest display of krogan power Shepard had ever seen. Wrex came barreling off the cliff's peak, landing shoulder-first on the armor, crushing it with the full force of his body plus his biotics. The entire mechanism sheared at the joints connecting the legs to the body, shortly before toppling over onto its escort. It gave a dying buzz as Wrex fired several shells into the back of its head. Shepard and Tali stared in amazement as the krogan walked over to them casually. "How's that for improvising?" he asked, shooting the last remaining assault droid in the chest.

"…I may never live to see something that tops that," Shepard said. He cleared his throat. "Come on; we still have an asari archaeologist to find."

"Lead the way," Tali replied, and the trio ascended the ramp and entered the dig site.


	11. Dr T'Soni

Shepard groaned when the team entered the ruins. Ever since the mission on Syided, he disliked caves. Maybe it was because he was nearly blown to smithereens in one, maybe it was the inevitable presence of machines that wanted only to kill him; Shepard didn't know. What he _did_ know was that caves irritated him, and that was more than enough for him to want this mission to be over: so he never had to set foot in another cave ever again.

Getting back on track, though, the cave in question was massive. One could almost fit a small city in this hole - and 50,000 years ago, they probably did. The ruin itself was basically a tower made of some kind of white stone or metal, and had luminous blue windows every few meters up. "Sterile white," Wrex noted disdainfully, "Protheans sure know how to make things homey…"

"Let's get this over with," Shepard said. "We can use that lift on the far end of this catwalk."

The trio walked along the narrow pathway to the elevator, plugging a couple of geth drones that tried to shoot rockets at them along the way. Once inside, Wrex activated the lift, and they began to descend.

Not even a minute later, the pulley began to malfunction, skidding to a halt just three meters from the platform below. "Looks like this is our stop," Tali said.

Wrex was the first to crawl out of the metal box, then Shepard, who assisted Tali. One part chivalry, one part caution; the lift seemed a little rusty and jagged.

_"Hello?"_ called a voice, muffled but audible and, more importantly, completely understandable. _"Please, help!"_ Confused, Shepard clambered down another level from the broken scaffold. He was directly in front of one of the blue windows, now revealed to be large force fields. Within, he could see an asari being suspended in a mass effect field, and she didn't seem too happy about it. _"Is somebody out there? I'm trapped; I need help!"_

"Dr. T'Soni, I presume?" Shepard greeted.

_"Oh, thank the Goddess; I didn't think anyone would come looking for me! Yes, I'm Liara T'Soni. Can I please ask for your assistance?"_

"How'd you end up in there?" Wrex asked, helping Tali down.

_"I was studying these ruins when the geth attacked. I activated this barrier to keep them out, but I must've hit something I shouldn't have; engaged this security field, and now I can't move. Please, could you help? I can tell you more afterward."_

"We'll see what we can do," Shepard confirmed.

_"Be careful. The geth have an asari commando with them. If they have such a force behind them, there's no telling who else they've recruited."_

Shepard nodded, leading the team down the ramp to the ground below. A handful of geth issued combat, but was quickly disposed of with a combination of rockets and sniper fire. The trio stopped in front of a large mining laser. "Does anyone know how to operate one of these?" Tali asked.

"Beats me," Wrex answered.

While the two of them conversed, Shepard took it upon himself to input a random sequence of buttons into the console. Several attempts in, he heard the machine hum to life. "You guys may want to stand back," he said hesitantly. The others complied, and a high-power burst of energy erupted from the laser, boring a Mako-sized hole in the sheer face of the structure for about five seconds. Shepard looked at his two comrades, "I guess we can go through now."

The interior of the building was basically a giant elevator. An elevator that Shepard expected to move at a snail's pace as the Citadel lifts did; but, upon its activation, the platform nearly shot up, bringing the team of three to the fifth floor of the ruin in almost no time. Before them, Liara was still suspended in midair. "Doctor," Wrex said.

The asari turned her head as far as she could to see them. "You're in? How - …How did you get past the barrier?"

"That reminds me," Shepard answered, "I hope you don't mind, but we used your mining laser. The last of its power too, I think."

"The laser… yes, of course. Um, there should be a console over there to deactivate this field."

The commander looked at the monitor in question before being stopped by Tali. "Wait, John. How do we know she's not working with her mother and Saren? This could be an elaborate trap to eliminate us."

Liara snapped at the comment. "I am _not_ my mother! I wouldn't think of harming you, and I certainly don't know who this 'Saren' is! You have to believe me."

Shepard took a moment to think before disengaging the security stasis. "The geth wouldn't be after her if she was working with them."

T'Soni dropped to the floor. She stood to thank them, but was cut off by a loud rumble. "What the hell was that?" Wrex and Tali asked in unison.

The asari archaeologist moved to the elevator console. "Firing that laser must have triggered a seismic event. We have maybe minutes before the whole ruin comes down on us!"

Shepard radioed the Normandy. "Joker, we need evac! I'm sending you the coordinates now."

"_Roger, Commander; ETA five minutes."_

"Not a lot of room for error, is it?" Tali noted.

"If we die in here," Wrex growled, "I'll kill him."

/-/

As the elevator made it to the top floor, Shepard recognized two things: number one was a platoon of geth infantry surrounding the lift; number two was the asari commando behind them with an almost too-big shotgun in her hands. Her biotic barrier was active, and she had a visor over her right eye. "Surrender," she commanded before grinning. "Or don't; that would be more fun."

Shepard crossed his arms. "K'Salna."

"You know this asari bitch?" Wrex asked, turning to Liara, "No offense."

"Little Lieutenant Shepard. I wish this were under better circumstances," she said sarcastically. "Hand the doctor over."

The cave rumbled, and rocks fell from the ceiling behind the team. "In case you haven't noticed, this place is falling apart," Shepard stated.

"Exhilarating, isn't it; the perfect scene for a life-and-death struggle. I won't ask again."

"Not a chance."

K'Salna sighed. "Oh well." She turned to the white geth at her side. "Kill them, but spare the doctor if you can. If not, it doesn't matter."

Shepard pushed Liara behind a support beam as K'Salna lobbed a biotic missile at the center of the platform. The orb caused the elevator to shake, causing the entire cave to crumble that much more. "Warning," said the white geth behind her, Chermak, as it fired its battle rifle, "T-minus 4 minutes, 17 seconds to complete structural failure. Prophet K'salna, fastest transit from here to the exit will consume 3 minutes and 19 seconds; we advise leaving within approximately 1.74 minutes."

"Goddess, you're like a broken record!" K'Salna said, visibly irritated as she dodged a stasis bubble.

"We need to move, Shepard!" Tali said. "That geth isn't kidding; this whole place is coming down on top of us unless we leave as soon as possible!"

"And geth are blocking our only exit," Wrex added, firing his shotgun.

Shepard thought as he decimated another geth. Mechanical infantry lined the walls, and K'Salna was blocking the only exit. If the geth were gone, they could focus fire on the maniacal asari; on the other hand, if K'salna ceased fire, the team could take care of her battle droids.

This gave him an idea. "Wrex," Shepard said. "On my go, use your biotics to put K'Salna in stasis; then grab T'Soni and run. Tali and I will keep you covered." Wrex worked up his biotics, waiting for his cue. "…Now!" The krogan wrapped the proclaimed prophet in a mass effect field, holding her in her combat stance as though she were flash-frozen. He then threw Liara over his shoulder as she screamed in surprise, and he sprinted to the exit, trampling Chermak on his way with Shepard and Tali close behind.

/-/

The hot tunnel air slapped Shepard right in the mouth as the trio bolted across the catwalk to the exit. Boulders and stalagmites fell from the ceiling, geth were chasing them, and the entire place would be gone in about a minute. "Move!" he continued to yell, backing them up the ramp. He reached for his radio. "Normandy, this is Shepard! Get us out of here!"

_"Roger, Commander,"_ Joker responded through a crackle of static.

As the team reached the now opening door, the Normandy hovered just outside. Wrex jumped into the awaiting cargo bay with Liara, followed by Tali. Shepard took one last look at the crumbling ruins before following his comrades onto the ship. His breath was heavy, and as the door closed, he could just make out a geth drop ship flying away.

He squeezed his eyes shut. "Let's never," he said, still panting, "ever do anything like that again… Ever…"

Wrex set their objective on the floor. "I guess we won," he said, just before dropping to his knees. "I completely agree, Shepard."

_"For the record, Commander,"_ Joker said over the intercom, _"Next time you execute a daring rescue, let it __not__ be in the middle of an exploding volcano. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference."_

"Your pilot is making jokes at a time like this?" Liara asked incredulously.

"Joker's an ass," Shepard answered, getting off the ground, "but he's allowed to be." He extended his hand. "Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy."

She hesitantly returned the gesture. "Liara T'Soni; I'm an archaeologist."

"We heard," Tali said. "I'm Tali. The krogan is Wrex."

"It is… nice to meet you."

"Dr. T'Soni," Shepard spoke again, "If you'll follow us to the conference room, we can introduce you to the whole team."

"There are more?"

"Oh yeah."


	12. Face-Time

Liara was seated in the one remaining free chair in the conference/communications room. Around the rest of the room sat Tali and Wrex, whom she'd met previously, as well as Garrus, Kaidan, and Ashley, to whom she would be introduced later. Shepard opted to stand, partially due to a shortage of actual chairs, partially because they didn't look particularly comfortable.

They were presently discussing why Saren and the geth were so interested in her. "You say my mother teamed up with this 'Saren'?" Liara asked. "If that is the case, and the geth work for him as well, then why were they trying to kill me?"

"My guess," Kaidan reasoned, "is that Saren knew we were coming for you, so he sent K'Salna and the geth to kill or capture you. We're trying to stop him, and we need knowledge of the Protheans to do it."

"Namely," Garrus added, "the way they vanished from the face of the galaxy."

Liara sat up, beginning her insight. "It just-so happens that the Prothean extinction is my area of expertise; I've spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them."

"Fifty years?" Kaidan and Shepard asked incredulously, to which Shepard supplemented, "How old are you, exactly?"

"I hate to say it," she answered, almost blushing, "but I am only one hundred and two."

"Damn," Ashley breathed, thoroughly impressed, "I hope I look that good when I'm your age."

Shepard cleared his throat. "Um, sorry for interrupting. Please, Dr. T'Soni, continue; you spent fifty years studying the Prothean extinction? What did you find?"

"The remarkable thing is what I _didn't_ find. It's as if someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues; almost like they didn't want people to know of their existence. And this isn't the first time this has happened, either. This galaxy is founded on a cycle of death. Every time a great civilization rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down. Even the Protheans built their society on the ruins of those before them, and I doubt it ends there. If only we knew what happened to them…"

Kaidan raised his hand. "I think the Commander may be able to shed some light on that. Commander?"

"We found a beacon on Eden Prime," Shepard responded. "It wasn't completely clear, but the gist so far is that the Protheans were hunted to extinction by the Reapers - sentient machines from fifty-thousand years ago; probably more if what you're saying is true."

Liara seemed shocked at this revelation. "The - …The Reapers? But I have never heard of…"

"The beacon burned a vision into my brain, knocked me cold for almost a day; I'm still trying to make sense of it."

"Visions… Yes, that makes sense. The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user. Finding one that still works is extremely rare. But they were only programmed to interact with Prothean physiology. Whatever information you received would have been confused; unclear. I am amazed you were able to make sense of it all. A lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed by the process. You must be remarkably strong-willed, Commander."

"Okay," Ashley interrupted. "This isn't helping us find Saren or the Conduit."

"You are right. I am sorry; my scientific curiosity got the better of me. Unfortunately, I have no information regarding the location of the Conduit, or Saren."

"I don't know why Saren wanted you out of the picture," Shepard stated, "But we might be a lot better off if we bring you along."

Liara stood, bowing slightly. "Thank you, Commander. Saren may come after me again. I can think of no safer place than here on your ship, and my Prothean knowledge may come in handy later on."

"And her biotics will come in handy when the fighting starts," Wrex said, finally speaking after all this time.

"Glad to have you on the team, Liara. Welcome aboard."

"Thank you, Commander," she replied. "I am very grateful - …Oh…" she held her head. "I'm sorry, I'm just feeling a little lightheaded."

"When's the last time you ate?" Kaidan asked. "Or _slept_? Dr. Chakwas should take a look at you."

"It is probably just mental exhaustion," Liara reasoned, "coupled with the shock of discovering the Protheans' true fate. I need some time to process all of this. Still, it couldn't hurt to be examined by a medical professional. It will give me time to think things over. Are we finished here, Commander?"

Shepard nodded. "Dismissed." Everyone began to leave, but Shepard caught Tali by the arm before she could exit. "You were awfully quiet here. Something the matter, Tali?"

She crossed her arms. "I don't know. I think I'm just jealous of her, is all."

"What could you possibly be jealous about?"

"In the course of a day, she's almost had more face-time with you than I have," she joked.

Shepard smiled. "When this is over, that will have to change."

"I hope it does. Am I dismissed?"

"You are."

As Tali left, Joker spoke up over the intercom. _"Mission reports are filed, Commander. You want me to patch you through to the Council?"_

"Patch them through."


End file.
